All posts by Jazmine LeBlanc

Jazmine LeBlanc is the Executive Director of ELLA Library, a community-based art and cultural non-profit organization in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Jazmine is a storyteller and a story sharer who works to amplify voices in her community. She believes that everyone needs to be able to see themselves in stories. Writing has always been a way for her to process the world. Growing up an avid reader, Jazmine recognizes the struggle to be comfortable within yourself when the majority of published works tell you that you aren’t worth writing about. Jazmine writes and shares stories to encourage and inspire.
Authors I-Q, Poetry 2020

Jealousy – by Jazmine LeBlanc

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As I hold you in my arms
Your gentle tiny undulating body
Wrapped in comfort
Soothed
I pray that you recognize
That your melanin I gave you is a gift and not a curse
So young yet society has already lied to you
Because they are jealous
Oh so jealous of your many shades of brown
ever changing hues that match the seasons
Jealous of the versatility of your curls and texture
That on a hot summer day your rows of corn keep you cool
Jealous of your curves that make any designer grab their sketch book
your full figure the inspiration for fall fashion
Jealous of your cooking, the deep ingrained recipes that let loose from your soul
Spices and seasonings that keep you warm in winter
Jealous of your ageless skin, those genes that you will thank me for later
When you look like you are still in the spring of life
I pray that you learn young to love yourself
So that you may live a full life embracing the gifts from your mother

Image credit:  Girl of color by Alexandr Ivanov (Pixabay)